Meditations of Marcus Aurellus /
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MARCUS AURELIUS.
~=^=^ -' THE
MEDITATIONS
OF
MARCUS AURELIUS
Tr ansl ded from the Gj-eek
By JEREMY COLLIER
Revised, with an Introduction ana i\otes
By ALICE ZIMMERN.
LONDON
WALTER SCOTT, 24 WARWICK LA^^E
PATERNOSTER ROW
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CONTENTS,
INTRODUCTION
BOOK I..
BOOK II..
BOOK III.
BOOK IV..
BOOK V..
^ BOOK VI..
^ BOOK VII.
^ BOOK VIII.
BOOK IX..
BOOK X..
BOOK XL.
Notes
PAGE
vii
MARCUS AURELIUS.
NTIL philosophers are kings, and the princes of this world have the spirit and power of philosophy, and political greatness and wisdom meet in one, cities will never cease from ill -- no, nor the human race, as I
believe -- and then only will our state have a possibility of life, and see the light of day." "The truth is, that the state in which the rulers are most reluctant to govern is best and most quietly governed, and the state in which they are most willing is the worst."
Thus writes Plato in his Republic, laying down the conditions, which even to him appear impossible, under which a state may be wisely governed. The ruler must be a philosopher as well as a king; and he must govern unwillingly, because he loves philosophy better than dominion. Once in the history of the world these conditions were fu…